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(205 views)
For an unforgettable wildlife experience, I highly recommend the Elkhorn Slough Safari in Moss Landing. We saw over one hundred sea otters, almost eighty harbor seals and dozens of sea lions very up close and personal.
This photo shows a raft of about eighty sea otters. Raft is the official label for a bunch of otters hanging out together, looking like a raft.
In addition to sea mammals, I also photographed sixteen species of birds. The trip was two hours of wildlife bliss. There were a few . . . |
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Here is an older otter, recognized by the light colored fur on its face. It is grooming itself after eating. Otters must have one of the cutest faces in the animal kingdom
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It was beautiful day in Santa Cruz and I had been photographing the sea lions when this pelican landed a few feet away on the pier railing.
If there was ever a compelling visual argument for birds being the modern descendants of dinosaurs, it's the pelican. I could easily imagine them flying just out of reach above the snapping jaws of some aquatic sea monster.
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A great egret at the edge of the bay looking for food. It is a very graceful bird whether walking or flying.
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The larger Great Egret was stalked by the smaller Snowy Egret.
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This cormorant scooped up a beakful of water plants to build its nest and then flew off.
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A large group of pelicans were perched on the fish processing equipment.
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This is one otter trying to persuade another otter to share its meal. It wasn't very successful.
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A very large, old Leopard Tortoise sunned itself that afternoon.
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The otter balanced his "plate" on his stomach while enjoying that last little morsel.
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The fisherman hadn't noticed that a pelican had just landed next to him on the pier.
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It surprises me that a big bird like a Pelican can fly so effortlessly.
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A lone individual popped up out of the water after a dive for food. We suspected he has a clam grasped in his paws. Otters love shellfish.
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A shell was almost the size of the otter's head, but was no match for its appetite.
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This Capybara needs a good brushing.
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Sea Otters appeared to spend a great deal of their time grooming themselves. They use their bodies as tables, so have to keep food scraps washed off. While they clean, they also push and sometimes blow air bubbles into their fur. The extra air trapped in their fur contributes to their buoyancy and increases insulation.
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(200 views)
This photo shows just part of a very large raft of otters we saw in the Elkhorn Slough. The older individuals had light faces, and such cute faces they were.
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Here is a view of a pelican you don't usually see. A head on view of its enormous bill.
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Here is another otter grooming or maybe he is thinking "oh, not another boatload of paparazzi!"
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A capybara peeking coyly from behind its giant palm frond.
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Catching the afternoon sun, the master of the grasses rests in its domain.
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Harbor seals are close to the top of the cute list, right up there next to sea otters.
We saw close to eighty harbor seals that day, most of them lying on shore watching us watching them.
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A very large tortoise with an imposing look.
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A very young sea lion was sleepily curious about his observers.
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To our left as we exited the harbor and entered the slough, we saw an old pier covered with sea lions. We slowly motored past them. It was quite satisfying to be at their level and so close to them. I feel like I ended up with a family portrait instead of a wildlife photo.
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